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The Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning supports families and their children from prenatal through school age by using data, research and stakeholder guidance to assure high quality services.
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Early Education in Pennsylvania
Message from Suzann Morris, Deputy Secretary
I'm pleased to share that we have an addition to our early childhood family, my son Sidney! He is a daily reminder of why we work so hard to give little ones like him a great start.
As I look back at what we've achieved over the past year, I'm impressed: thousands of comments on integrating services, STARS revisioning, and reducing suspensions/expulsions in early childhood settings; supporting our friend/neighbor and family child care providers as they become certified; maximizing our Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge grant as we head into its final year; and being proactive to support early education in Pennsylvania's state plan for ESSA.
As we look forward, we have so much to accomplish before 2017-18, but I am very confident that together we will be successful.
Happy New Year!
 Keystone STARS Re-visioning Update Webinar, January 19
All stakeholders are invited to participate on one of two public webinars on January 19, 2017 for a general overview and progress update on the Keystone STARS Re-visioning work. Sign up via the links below:
The three workgroups also began work in December:
- The Professional Development/Coaching/Cross-Systems Partnerships Workgroup met by webinar on Dec. 20 to review types of professional development services and how they are delivered, as well as the ongoing work on the PA Professional Development System.
- The Communication/STARS Ambassadors Workgroup met by webinar on Dec. 20 to review how families receive information on the availability and quality of child care. They will be surveying the field to gather more information on this topic.
- The Quality Indicators and Program Alignment Workgroup had a webinar on Dec. 21 to learn about how to do their assessment of the Keystone STARS performance indicators using the criteria of evidence-based/high value, achievability and feasibility for objective measurement. Their input will be merged with the input of the Think Tank for a broader and more informed look at the indicators.
You can stay up-to-date on the Re-visioning work, including the activities of the three workgroups on the
Keystone STARS Re-visioning page
on the PA Key website.
New Online Orientation for Prospective Family Child Care Homes
Part 1 of the orientation for prospective family child care homes is now available online. Although it is not required until February 1, 2017, t
he new online orientation is free and accessible 24 hours a day. The session includes
- An overview of child care regulations
- Application process
- What to expect in an inspection
The session, which you can take in increments, includes videos and quizzes and provides a good overview of the expectations of operating a family child care home.
As of February 1, 2017, prospective providers of family child care homes will be required to take the online orientation (Part 1) and then schedule and attend the face-to-face orientation afterwards (Part 2). Prospective providers must bring a valid form of ID, along with the certificate of completion from the Part 1 online orientation, to the Part 2 face-to-face orientation.
Health and Safety Basics: Requirements for Certification Now Available in Spanish
The six-hour online course,
Health and Safety Basics: Requirements for Certification, is now available in Spanish. The free online course covers nine topics of the 10 mandated Federal training requirements in health and safety that child care providers must complete. The six-hour module is free of charge and includes up-to-date medically approved content regarding children's health and safety.
The module is available online from Better Kid Care.
T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® PENNSYLVANIA Scholarships Available for Keystone STARS Directors and Staff for 2017
T.E.A.C.H. scholarships are a partnership between the sponsoring child care program, scholarship recipient, and OCDEL so that:
- Scholarship recipients receive funding for tuition, books, travel, paid release time (from their sponsoring early childhood education program) and a bonus or raise after each successful scholarship year.
- Sponsoring early childhood education programs receive funding for substitutes so the student can attend class or study, and a commitment from the student to stay at the program for an additional year after each scholarship year. Sponsoring programs agree to cover the cost of the bonus or raise.
- The early childhood field gains, higher retention and higher compensation for a more educated workforce.
- work approximately 25-30 hours per week directly with children in a DHS-certified child care program participating in Keystone STARS;
- make $19 or less an hour ($25 or less per hour for directors) and
- are interested in pursuing coursework at a participating college (at least 9 credits per year) toward a degree or credential in early childhood education.
Applicant may apply for scholarships for a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential; CDA Assessment, Associate's degree; Bachelor's degree; or PA Teacher Certification.
It's time for Kindergarten Registration
It's hard to believe it's already time for families to register their preschooler for kindergarten. This is the time of year when schools host kindergarten registrations. Pennsylvania will offer a comprehensive listing of school districts and kindergarten registration information. The information is shared with families, early learning programs, and community partners throughout the state. Will your school be on the list? Send the details to Mary at [email protected].
Culture ≠ One Size Fits All
A recent blog post on PA's Early Intervention Technical Assistance site, Culture ≠ One Size Fits All, conveys how culture is a very persuasive and potent factor in the ways of our individual thoughts and beliefs; along with what culture has to do with our work with children, family and colleagues. Get a list of questions to ask yourself to think deeper about the ways culture can affect us.
January's Book-A-Day Giveaway
Children who have access to books in their home spend more time with books, and those books can help them develop their language and communication skills. PA's Promise for Children is helping families discover the joy of early literacy with the January 2017 Book-A-Day Giveaway! During January, one entry each day will be selected to receive a copy of the book,
Stone Soup by Marcia Brown.
Share the link and encourage families to enter to win a copy of this book.
PA One Book Launches #ClassicCountdown
As of January 2, PA One Book began the Classic Countdown of 11 books in 11 weeks, leading up to the launch of the 12th PA One Book selection,
Daniel Finds a Poem by author Micha Archer. Each week a past PA One Book is highlighted with activities, traveling trunks, readings, and remembrances of the book. Follow the PA One Book on
Facebook or
Instagram for updates.
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Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge
Strategies and Processes Contributing to CIZ Grantee Success
OCDEL has partnered with School Readiness Consulting (SRC) to conduct a study examining the innovative and successful family engagement efforts that are happening in Pennsylvania's Community Innovation Zones (CIZ). On November 22, SRC hosted a webinar to share interim findings from the first year of the study. The webinar described the grantees' perspectives on the first year of CIZ implementation and their experiences using family engagement strategies as part of their work. Highlights from the interim findings include:
- Process of Implementation: Grantees faced some initial challenges in collaboration with local partners but over time many grantees have found value in information-sharing and collaboration. Additionally, grantees have benefited from the support of family engagement and CIZ specialists, and particularly appreciate the individualized support provided by the specialists. Furthermore, while many resources are available, grantees could benefit from a more streamlined approach to identifying, utilizing, and sharing pertinent resources as it pertains to implementation of their work. Overall, grantees are looking forward to continued support and planning for sustainability of their efforts.
- Family Engagement Strategies: Grantees have found success in utilizing technology and social media to engage and communicate with families, as well as providing leadership opportunities for family members. Furthermore, family engagement efforts in the CIZs have been most successful when grantees are sensitive to families' needs and concerns, particularly around family circumstances, competing demands, and families' beliefs about their children's education. While there was an indication of the importance of culturally competent and strength-based approaches when working with families, SRC found that additional support and development is needed in this area.
This upcoming winter and spring, SRC will conduct site visits to a subset of CIZ grantees participating in the study, and will conduct telephone interviews with other stakeholders. CIZ grantees will also be invited to share family narratives. If you have any questions or concerns about the study, please contact Sherylls Valladares Kahn at
[email protected]
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This initiative is a part of Pennsylvania's Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge grant. For more information on other initiatives funded by this grant, visit the
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Federal News
Questions about CCDF? Check Out the Frequently Asked Questions
The Office of Child Care has posted responses to frequently asked questions (FAQs) regarding the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Final Rule based on the bipartisan reauthorization of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act.
Find information relating to:
- Number of children & families served by CCDF;
- How CCDF support parental choice;
- What is the reauthorization and how many children could benefit from the changes in reauthorization;
- and more!
The questions and responses are organized by key topic areas, and additional FAQs will be added in the future on an ongoing basis.
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Of Interest
DHS creates interactive myCOMPASSPA app to help streamline services
A new app,
myCOMPASSPA, from the PA Department of Human Services is expected to make easier the lives of those who want to apply for or who receive state benefits in Pennsylvania. Through the app, users can access their benefits from anywhere, at any time; review what they receive; check the status of submitted applications; upload documents; and report changes directly from their phone or mobile device. Users must have an existing COMPASS account to use the app. While Pennsylvania continues to have a website that allows people to apply for benefits, it is anticipated the app will help reach more people and be easier to use.
Request for Applications: National Farm to School Network 2017-2019 Core Partners
Application deadline January 26
The National Farm to School Network (NFSN) is seeking partner organizations to serve as Core Partners during 2017-2019 in the next phase of farm to school and early childhood education (ECE) growth and evolution. Organizations and agencies interested in and capable of contributing to the advancement of farm to school and ECE are encouraged to apply. The organization is specifically seeking Core Partners who will contribute to network development, information sharing, and policy development. NFSN will support the activities undertaken by Core Partners through structured opportunities for peer learning and integration of on-the-ground activities into a coordinated national movement with the goal of advancing and institutionalizing farm to school and ECE across the nation. For additional details, visit the NFSN website.
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Trends and Reports
Study Finds Early Interventions Can Reduce Later Economic Costs
A new study, Childhood forecasting of a small segment of the population with large economic burden, published by Nature, links a connection between an at-risk childhood and costly adult outcomes. The study linked administrative data with individual-level longitudinal data, and measured the connection between an at-risk childhood and costly adult outcomes in the population. Implications are that early-years interventions, if efficient and effective, could make very large reductions in economic burden during adult years.
Call for An Equal Opportunity for Every Eligible Child
In State(s) of Head Start, NIEER for the first time analyzed Head Start program data from all 50 states and six territories and found that access, funding per child, teacher education, quality of teaching, and duration of services all vary widely by state. Pennsylvania's profile indicates that only 19% of low-income 3-year-olds in Pennsylvania are served by Head Start, and even though 84% of Head Start teachers in Pennsylvania have a bachelors degree or higher, their average salary is $28,996--several thousand below the national average.
NIEER's findings underscore the need for additional funding as well greater coordination between Head Start and state and local government agencies to build high-quality early learning programs with widespread reach and adequate funding. The report calls for an independent bipartisan national commission to study the issues raised in this report and develop an action plan to ensure every eligible child in every state has an equal opportunity to benefit from Head Start.
QRIS Compendium Updated
The BUILD Initiative has released the 2016 data for the QRIS Compendium. The new data, streamlined to reduce data elements and to make the site more user-friendly, provides up-to-date information on all the fully functioning QRIS in the United States and its territories. New data elements of the 2016 reboot include how states collect and use participation data; supports for teachers in center-based programs; and inclusion of continuous quality improvement requirements in the rating and improvement process.
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Resources
Ready Freddy Helps Transitioning Students
The 2017 edition of the Ready Freddy kindergarten activity calendar has launched on the Ready Freddy website at www.readyfreddy.org. The calendar is free for download. Schools interested in having customized calendars created (for a fee) should contact Aisha White at 412-383-7372 or [email protected] for details.
December Edition of Baby Talk
Camille Catlett's December edition of Baby Talk highlights information toddlers learning from online video chats, the American Academy of Pediatric's new Safe Sleep recommendation, and more.
Brush Up on Oral Health Newsletters
The December issue of Brush Up on Oral Health from the National Center on Early Childhood Health and Wellness (NCECHW) focuses on choosing healthy drinks and identifying drinks with added sugar. This issue also discusses what early learning staff can do to help parents prevent tooth decay by promoting healthy drink choices (e.g., milk, fluoridated tap or bottled water) and limiting drinks with sugar.
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Higher Education
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The Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) provides families access to high quality services to prepare children for school and life success.
Find more information about Quality Early Learning in Pennsylvania
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The Pennsylvania Early Childhood Education News is a project of the Pennsylvania Build Initiative and the Pennsylvania Departments of Education and Human Services to inform early learning professionals, the early childhood community, policymakers, community leaders and the public on developments in early childhood education and care in Pennsylvania.
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